In England, during the second half of the nineteenth century, painter, writer, textile designer and social activist William Morris (1834-1896) became the motivational leader of a revival in arts and crafts that encompassed all the visual arts, especially architecture and interiors.

The Arts and Crafts movement he led in England had ramifications world wide. Morris believed in a Utopian style of socialism and his affinity with natural handcrafted wares was doggedly pursued.

Like many of his peers William Morris was trying to help people find their way in a world moving forward at a very fast pace. He said ‘The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life’.

During  his lifetime Morris produced hundreds and hundreds of designs for textiles, including tapestries and hand woven carpets. His inspiration for their composition was both nature and the medieval world.

He wanted to find a way out of industrial ugliness, back to the joys of creation experienced in the ‘Golden Age’ of English history, which was perceived, romantically, as being a much simpler time.

Challenging industrial age leaders to produce handcrafted goods was indeed a lofty ideal.

However their was two realities. One was that it was profit driving the market for William Morris products being sold through Morris & Co, which he founded in 1861.

The second was that the aims he and his peers (like art critic John Ruskin and designer Auguste Welby Pugin) extolled ended up being an example of hypocrisy because so many manufacturers were producing a superior ‘hand crafted’ product in dirty, overcrowded sweatshops, where most of the workers were children.

The exploitation of working class children as cheap labour was vital to the economic success Britain enjoyed during the nineteenth century. For many working class families, it was far more important for a child to bring home a wage than to have an education. The combination of dangerous working conditions and long hours meant that children were worked as hard as any adult, but without laws to protect them. Children were cheaper to employ than adults, and easier to discipline.

With the tide of public opinion changing government legislation in 1844, 47, 50, 53 and 1867 regulated that no one could employ children under 8. In 1867 8 – 13 year old workers had their hours reduced so they could receive 10 hours education per week, again exploited. It would not be until the closing years of the century that the majority children began to be treated as children, not miniature adults.

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In 1858 Morris’s friend and colleague architect Phillip Speakman Webb built the Red House for he and his family. When it was completed in 1860, it was described by British Pre-Raphaelite Painter Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898) as ‘the beautifullest place on earth’.

Today the house retains many of its original features including furniture by Morris and Philip Webb, ceiling paintings by Morris, wall-hangings designed by Morris and worked by himself and his wife Jane, furniture painted by Morris and Pre-Raphealite painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and wall-paintings and stained- and painted glass designed by Edward Burne-Jones.

It was designed to reflect a man’s house was his castle and,  for its time, it was completely revolutionary.

To complete the Red House Webb borrowed handmade red bricks from the Tudor period, inserted circular windows from the Italian Renaissance period, as well as small-paned sash windows from the English Georgian age. Many of the windows are surmounted by pointed Gothic (relieving/set back) arches as described in the treatise of first century Roman architect Vitruvius and used by sixteenth century architect Andrea Palladio.

Its steeply graded roof is reminiscent of chateaux in France and its hand laid roof tiles are made of natural slate. They acted as an electrical insulator, were fireproof and had an extremely low water absorption rate. The roof allowed water or melting snow to run into wide gutters and be recycled via a ‘well’ in the garden, which symbolically and practically became the ‘font’ of the house.

His ‘middling’ English house was, at least for Morris, a place ‘after his own heart’ a most noble work…more a poem than a house…but an admirable place to live in to’. It was refreshingly simple and Morris was well pleased with it. It was a kind of moral architecture if you like, paying tribute to England’s ‘golden age’, while reflecting the needs of a contemporary middle class citizen and craftsman such as himself. The Arts and Crafts styled building symbolized warmth and shelter, informality and welcome.

Between the wars the Arts & Crafts style burgeoned out into the suburbs of busy, bustling cities around the world calling upon rural traditions too, which signified order and stability.

St John’s Cathedral at Brisbane, Australia is the last Gothic Revival Style Cathedral in the world to be completed (2006) In the precinct is a number of buildings influenced by Arts and Crafts architecture, which was well underway in England when it was first being built (1906).

They included St Martin’s House, whose style was inspired by the philosophy of arts and crafts movement and The Red House. Built following World War I of red brick, relieved by detailing in stone, it has a slated high sloping roof, Georgian style sash windows, Italian Renaissance touches, including a Juliet balcony. There are also some delightful fanciful turret style chimneys at the roofline.

It has the addition of an extended room surmounted by medieval battlements. Originally the main operating room of the hospital, it was converted into an office for the current Dean of the Cathedral, whose desk is sited over the main plumbing grate. Set into an Italian terrazzo floor (now covered by carpet) this is where they hosed the blood after an operation. One could have a lot of fun with that…but we digress.

Morris and his associates introduced a new dimension to the reform of design and decoration. He explored, in particular, the techniques of traditional country furniture because it was not only the debased quality of contemporary furniture that alarmed him, but also the decline of ancient skills needed to produce a quality product. They produced a line up of furniture designs that were a distinct breakaway from anything else the industrial era had offered.

In America Gustave Stickley was a self appointed standard-bearer for the arts and crafts movement. Through his factory stocked with everything needed to create the home beautiful he promoted and extended Morris’s principles in both an artistic and socialist sense. He targeted the average American homeowner, whose limited budget called for a subtle marketing technique. He offered to ‘substitute the luxury of taste for the luxury of costliness’… employing those forms and materials made for simplicity, individuality and dignity of effect. His magazine The Craftsman evangelized through articles submitted by influential guest writer’s on such issues as style, home décor, urban landscapes and architecture. It was all about the home beautiful, and he supplied everything needed for those seeking to embrace the future in comfort and style.

All his life Morris tried to recreate the idyllic, almost medieval life; self sufficient, financially secure, practical in close contact with nature.  Morris described the Cotswold village of Bibury in Gloucestershire as ‘surely the most beautiful hamlet in England’. In this he was both inspired and supported by art critic John Ruskin, whose thoughts had a profound influence on Victorian attitudes.  Morris tried to make his vision of beauty, an actual part of everyday life. He saw modern mechanical industry destroying ‘mans natural purpose and sense of life’

John Ruskin said he believed that working with the hands and producing arts and crafts were essential to the moral fibre of the home. Objects were meant to be fashioned with great pride, integrity and attention to beauty. He sincerely feared without such a focus the quality of family life would be severely degraded and diminished.

Morris agreed. He said “If I were asked to say what is at once the most important product of Art, and the thing most to be longed for, I should answer, a beautiful House. And that included everything and everyone inside it.

By now Morris and his family had a retreat in the countryside at Hammersmith overlooking the Thames. Kelmscott Manor is where he established the Kelmscott Press, the last great enterprise of his life.

Between 1891 and 1898 it produced 53 books (some 18,000 copies). The books Morris produced were modeled on books of the fifteenth century, such as those of printer Nicolaus Jenson of Venice, whose examples inspired the Roman ‘golden’ font Morris used.

Noteworthy for their harmony of type and illustration, the main priority was to have each book seen as a whole, re-awakening the early ideals of illuminated book design. He wanted to inspire other printers in standards of production at a time when the printed page was generally at its poorest.

Numerous other presses were set up to perpetuate Morris’ aims, including the Doves, Eragny, Ashendene and Vale Presses. The enterprise was the culmination of Morris’s life as a craftsman in many diverse fields as he set out to prove the high standards of the past could be repeated – even surpassed – in the present.

William Morris died before the end of the century and did not live to see the success that the Arts and Crafts philosophy of he and his peers had on both sides of the Atlantic and in British colonies like Canada and Australia.

By 1901 the population of the United Kingdom was 41.5 million with twenty percent living in poverty. Emmelline Pankhurst founded the Women’s Social and Political Union in 1903 and it became a focus for militant action in the campaign for women’s suffrage. It was not until 1904 that the Children’s Act of 1904 officially banned employment of children between nine PM in the evening and six am in the morning.

A reaction to the  de-humanizing affect of late nineteenth century industrialism revived the artisan guild system, which was similar to that of medieval times. Its members were promoted as being merry and jolly and the offered an interesting role model for those searching for a panacea to escape the ills of the age.

The remedy lay in creating and constituting a new philosophy of life for the worker and so a traditional hero was revived. Britain’s great legendary medieval hero, Robin Hood, who had championed the working class man and his honest labour.

Robin was merry, his men were merry and, putting him forward to project an image of artisans happy at completing a days hard work, was instantly appealing.

His  popularity and merry image was re-affirmed when a movie emerged from the new glamorous, Art Deco loving capital of America, Hollywood in 1938 in a world torn asunder. Australian born Errol Flynn starred as the romantic hero Robin Hood romping through the movie, with his merry men and the lovely Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marion.

They both smiled a lot, as did his men,  and his merry disposition was completely infectious. In the movie the virtues of hearth and home in Sherwood Forest were about Spartan design and not only would this help reinforce the attitudes and philosophies, fashions and passions of the Arts and Crafts movement as it continued its merry way, but it would also help everyone survive the global conflict to come.

‘We are here to lead you back to the realities of life’, Morris had said, ‘to show you how to use your hands and your heads, which machines have already made over half of the population lose’.

The social ideal of the arts and crafts movement is ongoing. It was “The Art that is Life”.

Carolyn McDowall August 2010

Watch the trailer of Robin Hood, it should give your day a ‘boost’

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This is a terrific tale about four women summoned by the eastern star.

It is the exotic true-life stories of some key women in western history. They are Isabel Burton, Aimee Dubucq de Rivery, Jane Digby, and Isabelle Eberhardt.

They all took great risks, whether it was their choice or not, and ended up either pursuing their passion for romance or in Aimee Dubucq de Rivery’s case, making the best of it.

For the four women included in this classic volume of biography, the wilder shores of love lay east of their native Europe—in Arabia.

* Victorian Isabel Arundell married the defiantly unorthodox social outlaw and adventurer Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton KCMB FRGS (1821-1890) an English explorer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, ethnologist, linguist, poet, hypnotist, fencer and diplomat.  Whew!

His many adventures included traveling to Mecca in 1853 disguised as a pilgrim.

His service in the diplomatic corps took he and Isabel to Syria and Palestine and she wrote a book about their travels together.

During his final years as British Consul in Trieste he translated and privately printed books on erotica.

They are buried together in a tomb designed as a Bedouin Tent. How great it is.

• Aimee Dubucq de Rivery was a convent girl, who grew up on the island of Martinique with her friend Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie (later Empress Josephine). She was abducted by Corsair pirates when she was on the way to France to attend ‘finishing school’ . She was presented to the ruler of the Ottoman Empire, ending up in his Harem and bearing him a son.

Aimee underwent many hardships and lived to see her son Sultan. She supported her friend and cousin Empress Josephine from afar when Napoleon Bonaparte divorced her. She had a quiet, back seat, mostly unknown effect on his and France’s future. You will have to read the book to find out how, where, when and why. The story of her survival, against all odds, is perhaps my favourite.

• Then there is the raffish, very glamorous divorcée Jane Digby. Her father founded the family fortune on the prize money he gained seizing a Spanish treasure ship, Santa Brigada, in 1799.  Her first three marriages and notorious extramarital affairs were amongst the biggest scandals of her day. Bad press did not deter her though and when she fancied living in a Bedouin tent with her fourth husband, Sheik Abdul Madjuel El Mezrab, she did. Fortunately they shared 28 happy years together and she befriended Isabel and Richard Burton when he was British Consul in Damascus.

Images Left to Right: Isabel Burton, Aimee Dubucq de Rivery, Jane Digby, Isabelle Eberhardt

• Isabelle Eberhardt preferred the Sahara, and if you are going to live in a dessert why not the most famous one in the world. She entered the world of desert Arabs dressed as a man. During her brief life (she died age 27) she converted to Islam and became heavily involved in helping the poor and needy while fighting against the injustices of colonial rule

Love, wanderlust, faraway places—all that Romance implies—make up this delicious book. It is ideal reading.

The Author – Lesley Blanch MBE (1904 – 2007)
Scholarly, romantic, celebrated author and distinguished traveler Lesley Blanch influenced and inspired generations of writers, readers and critics. She pioneered a new kind of group biography focusing on women escaping the boredom of convention, and has remained in print in English since original publication in 1954.

She was one of the last of those who actually knew something of the Middle East as it once was, before conflict and turmoil became the essence of relations between the Arab World and the West.

Lesley Blanch died in 2007 after leading a full life leaving many works as her legacy, including this amazing work. I have to say that my very worn dog eared copy, given to me by a dear friend, who travels a great deal in the Middle East, testifies to the fact it is one of my all time favourites.

The Wilder Shores of Love is still available.

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If you would like to consider purchasing The Wilder Shores of Love. Click here www.bookoffers.com.au

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During the Middle Ages the majority of the population gained an understanding of the world they lived in, and their heritage, through imagery because the majority of people were unable to read the written word.

In Greek Mythology the three Goddesses of Destiny and Fate wove the threads of destiny, because they were also the personification of the inescapable preordained destiny of humankind. The first, Lachesis, determined the length of thread – the period of one’s life. Klotho combed the wool and spun the thread of life. And, Atropos, well she wove the thread into the fabric of one’s actions. So the belief was that it didn’t matter what you decided you wanted to do, or be you couldn’t really escape your pre-ordained destiny.

The qualities that were the special characteristic, or hallmarks of what would become the fully developed European medieval art of tapestry were excellence in design, crispness of execution, wonderful depth of tone, superb richness and exquisite gradations of colour. The colours were natural dyes set by mordants such as Alum, a necessary process in fixing the dye to the wool. Such was the commercial strength of the textile industry owning deposits of Alum at that time was a sure way to wealth and in today’s terms could be compared to owning your own oil wells.

Secular themes included ancient tales of Greek and Roman mythology, aspects of love, as well as contemporary conflicts and revelry. The symbolism attached to numbers and animals was also of major significance assisting in conveying a message, moral or otherwise, about the glory and welcome abundance of creation.

Tapestry weavers created the design, as they progressed, out of their imagination or from the documentary evidence we have, from about the fourteenth century from a cartone (It. broad sheet of paper) or cartoon (drawing or painting). Some of these very earliest cartoons are still in existence and were hardly more than sketches. It was quite common for weavers to exercise their own flair by adding a small animal or a particular expression to a face ensuring that each work had its own peculiar characteristics and features. Workshops in various centres of weaving in Europe produced an abundance of pastoral scenes and what we know as the ‘verdure type’ one that has predominantly blue and green colouring of landscapes with streams and waterfalls and an emphasis on trees, foliage and fauna.

In the late medieval period of the fifteenth century the now famous millefleurs tapestries appeared characterized by their backgrounds being made of hundreds of tiny flowers. The word millefleurs is French for “a thousand flowers” and as a background for a tapestry flowers were considered the height of fashion and sophistication.

Although the precise origin of the millefleurs motif is open to speculation, one possible suggestion is the technique was an attempt to preserve year round images of flowers whose nature was very fleeting.

The most famous of any tapestries in this style are the six in the series known as La Dame á la Licorne. This group of superb tapestries features an enchanting combination of deep red ground strewn with an abundance of flowers. Woven from a combination of woollen, silk and gold thread these fabulous wall hangings have exercised an almost universal fascination on all those who have encountered them for hundreds of years.

In the nineteenth century Prosper Merimé the French Inspector of Historic Monuments drew the attention of authorities to the beauty and importance of the tapestries after finding them hanging on damp walls in the rat ridden decaying Château Boussac in 1835. They were still there in 1844 when the renowned author of her day, George Sand mentioned them in her novel Jeanne and endeavoured to use her influence to have them removed to safety.

They were still there in 1853 when Baron Aucapitaine drew the attention of Edmond du Sommerard, the Curator of the Cluny Museum at Paris to them and he subsequently negotiated long and hard to secure them.

They were officially inaugurated in 1883 in the Cluny Museum, which is now called le Musée national du Moyen Age where the tapestries form the focal point of an outstanding collection of medieval art. They sparkle with a profusion of amazingly intricate blooms providing the perfect foil for scenes depicting late medieval hunts and courtly love.

The tapestries are meant to intrigue and they do.  Every piece would have taken years to weave and their superb contrasting colours create a unique impression of harmony.

Five of the tapestries represent the important human senses; sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch and they quite literally take your breathe away for the eternal freshness of their colours. Five is a powerful number in symbolism. Early cultures believed the five senses were a facet of the creation of man and sacred, to the extent to which you consider a human being to be sacred, or at least potentially so.

Every detail delights the eye; the textiles represented include brocades, velvets and silks and they are shown off with jewels all of which have been rendered in wool with surprising exactitude. Then there is the detailing of the mille fleurs or thousands of flowers, which is more than impressive and were all found in France at that time.

They are combined with familiar animals such as foxes, dogs and ducks all mingling with exotic creatures such as panthers, cheetahs and lions. The animals all have a basis in symbolism such as the rabbit, which represents fertility, the dog, loyalty, while the panther, who had a sweet breath, represents the Word of Christ. Then there is the goat who is all knowing while the wolf, well he’s the devil incarnate. Our gaze lingers longest, and perhaps with a curious pleasure, on that mythological beast the unicorn who is really worth an essay of his own.

He is both savage and loyal, and like Christ, pure and invincible while his flanking friend the lion: the King of beasts is both strong and courageous. In some instances they appear to have been just plucked off a coat of arms to flank the figures and give them authority and they are skilfully rendered and the beauty of their draughtsmanship is striking.

The centrally focused Lady is depicted in an ordinary every day attitude, although she is dressed in different costumes in each one historically. She is the one who creates the aura of mystery, one that has endured. Who was she? Did she represent some famous person or is she…as some scholars claim, an allegory of the Blessed Virgin? Does the crescent motif repeated constantly suggest a fascination with the East or is it an allusion to her being aligned with the Greek goddess of the hunt Artemis or Roman God Diana?

History has since lost or destroyed much documentation, and most theories and answers to many questions still remain obscure.

What we do know is that the Coat of Arms belong to a family from the region of Lyon. Jean le Viste had a distinguished record of service to the King as President of the Court of Aids. The tapestries, commissioned by him, proclaim the high position he held and reflect his personal glory.

Then there is the enigma of the sixth tapestry, which appears to match but really stands alone. Its tent is studded with golden tear drops and its flaps frame the brocade be-gowned and be-jewelled young lady who draws all eyes to a central scene where she is replacing jewels in a casket to send them back. This lends credence to the moral significance of the inscription a mon seul désir…’freedom from the passions provoked by ill controlled senses’.

Two important details still elude researchers; the personality of the artist who designed the tapestries for Jean le Viste and the place where they were woven.

We sleep, but the loom of life never stops, and the pattern which was weaving when the sun went down is weaving when it comes up in the morning  Henry Ward Beecher 1813-1887

Carolyn McDowall August 2010

The Lady & Unicorn Tapestries are part of our acclaimed course of study – Evolution of Art, Design & Style

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Lauded by the nobility and the lyric poets the language of lady love from the eleventh to the thirteen century prevailed in the courts of England and Europe.

During the twelfth century advances in philosophy and science began to impose themselves and the nature of the individual was held up to scrutiny.

An outpouring of intellectual inquiry and discovery took place as Cathedral schools and universities were being established through the powerful Islamic influence on European thought.

This is also when the classical revival and the new and exciting literature for leisure appeared. It was defined by the use of the Latin word Romanz as distinct from what was known as ‘real’ literature, which was ironically written in Latin.

With its captivating themes of love, ladies and passion in the courts of Europe it was not long before it became known as romantic literature.

While being associated with entertainment and frivolity, music is also a powerful form of communication vital to our inner well-being. At what point meaningful, communicative sounds began cannot be established. What we do know is that we all make sounds first before we learn to talk so we could say music is the first language we learn and an important step in the creation of the spoken word.

Expressing personal feelings in relation to the beauty and bountiful joys of women became the province of troubadours, who were both composers and performers of lyrical poetry set to romantic music. They roved about the countryside visiting castles and their communities to deliver the latest ditties going about in song. The themes they favoured the most were those of chivalry and courtly love.

The origins of courtly love can be traced to the court of William IX, Duke of Aquitaine one of the first troubadour poets as well as leaders of the first crusade in 1101. Born on the wrong side of the blanket, William was the son of his father’s third wife whom the Roman church did not recognize. An anonymous biography written in the 13th century said of him…’The Count of Poitiers was one of the most courtly men in the world and one of the greatest deceivers of women. He was a fine knight at arms, liberal in his womanizing, and a fine composer and singer of songs. He travelled much through the world, seducing women’.

He was the earliest troubadour some of whose work still survives as a testimony to his romantic adventures. He loved scandal and shocking everyone. However it is said that he was kind and generous and if we being equally generous we would say he shared the love around.

I have given up all I loved so much
chivalry and pride
and since it pleases God I accept it all
that he may keep me by him

I enjoin my friends, upon my death
all to come and do me great honour
since I have held joy and delight
far and near, and in my abode

Thus I give up joy and delight
and squrriel and grey and sable furs…

Eleanor of Aquitaine was in her time the most famous woman in the world. William’s granddaughter, she was seemingly a bit of a chip of the old block. She has been described as having a ‘high spirited nature’ altogether very ‘worldly’ and her conduct was repeatedly criticized by the Church. Eleanor had grown up at the court of her father William X Duke of Aquitaine renowned as being at the cutting edge, if you like, of early twelfth century culture.

She married the heir to the throne of France when she was fifteen and the Abbot Suger of The Abbeye at St Denis was put in charge of her wedding arrangements. Her wedding present to Louis was a rock crystal vase, which is still on display at the Louvre at Paris. Within days the old king had died and Eleanor had become Queen of France as Louis ascended the throne. It was however a marriage of lands, rather than minds or hearts and eventually it was put aside because she only gave her husband two daughters.

She then married , Henry, Count of Anjou and Duke of Normandy and within two years he had become King of the English and she their Queen. She bore him five sons and three daughters during the term of their tempestuous relationship, as he was a known philanderer.

Eleanor reputedly exerted a great deal of influence on the destiny of her children, including Richard the Lionheart and King John. Her life has been held up by scholars to much scrutiny and from it we can draw some general conclusions about marriage and motherhood during the Middle Ages and understand what motivated a knight or king’s love for his lady. As a powerful woman, who led a very interesting life and inspired many of the stories about courtly love.

During the medieval period the relationship between a knight and his liege lord was most important. The knight owed his Lord complete fealty. However this in turn meant he also owed service and obedience to his Lord’s lady, who was in complete control of the situation in regard to their relationship.

As many of the marriages of the time were arranged to bring fortunes and land together and were not love matches, this could, and did cause all sorts of dilemmas for the wife especially if the knight was young, handsome, upright, valiant and honourablem all of which were noble traits to be admired and cherished.

He in return was to be inspired to do great deeds on her behalf, to win and keep her favour without dishonouring his knightly vows by giving into passion.

Courtly love was about declarations of service, devotion, and passion and, an emerging sense of the self. It was meant to be ennobling, whether the lady knew about his love for her or loved him in return.

The idea was that courtly love improved his character. It was the crucial element integral to the whole tradition. The courtly love song was sung by the languishing lover to his lovely lady proclaiming that although their love was a secret, because convention required it to be, yet he is content to let her know she is the sole mistress of his heart, and that all his songs are solely for her.

It was the nineteenth century French dramatist, novelist, & poet (1802 – 1885) Victor Hugo who said music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.

Sweet noble heart, pretty lady,
I am wounded by love,
so that I am sad and pensive,
and have no joy or mirth for to you,
my sweet companion,
I have thus given my heart.

Carolyn McDowall August 2010

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At the end of its initial three-episode run, the Producers have announced, that following its massive success, the modern update of Sherlock Holmes we reported on a few weeks ago (Sherlock: Shrewd, Sexy & New Age) will return to the BBC

It seems that the famous detective, who first appeared in print in 1887, is in the public eye more now than ever before.

Our London Correspondent has indeed been very busy reporting to us about all things Sherlock. We just can’t wait to see it here.

It has attracted record audiences of over 7 million people for each of its three episodes.

The web is being bombarded with comments on websites. Posts by enthusiastic bloggers are also busy informing all their friends to watch it when it arrives in their domain.

Re-invented by Steven Moffat and Mark Gattis of Dr Who fame when traveling, most appropriately on a train, Holmes and Watson have been resurrected as living, breathing, modern men just as they were originally.

Sherlock’s great brain and its imaginative deductions are still to the forefront with Watson busy recording all their latest adventures on his blog, which really exists so you can read it. http://www.johnwatsonblog.co.uk/

The main attraction is the violin playing Byronic styled Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch. At only 34 years of age he has an impressive body of work behind him. He has turned the consulting detective into an instant television superstar.

Apparently a whole new generation are scurrying to find the original adventures so they can download them onto their Amazon Kindle 3.

Cumberbatch described his Sherlock as “a man of action and a great, great thinker”. He admitted feeling anxious about taking on the role that has turned him into an instant superstar.

He said “You immediately think of Holmes past and present. What am I stepping into? Do I want to be recognised just for this character? You even start to curse your blessings. It’s a strange thing being an actor.”

Dr John Watson, finely drawn by Martin J Freeman,  has to put up with so many comments from Sherlock about his writing style…

…‘John, I’ve only just found this post. I’ve glanced over it and honestly, words fail me. What I do is an exact science and should be treated as such. You’ve made the whole experience seem like some kind of romantic adventure. You should have focused on my analytical reasoning and nothing more’.

Steven Moffat praised Cumberbatch’s portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. “It’s a bit of a blessing that one of the hottest young actors on the planet at the moment happens to look like Sherlock Holmes. He does have the look. He’s got that imperious style and he’s a bit Byronic.”

I did warn you last time, apparently the final episode ends on a dramatic cliffhanger with Holmes, Watson and the villain Moriarty, who was a major surprise. Infuriatingly, my London correspondent wouldn’t be more expansive.

Guess all of us Aussie enthusiasts will just have to wait patiently until it appears here.

In the meantime the wonderful 1984 series with Jeremy Brett as Holmes is on the evening agenda.

Watch the Interview with Producer Sue Vertue & Writer Stevan Moffat about Sherlock

Sherlock: Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson’s adventures in 21st Century London are a thrilling, funny, fast-paced contemporary remake of the Arthur Conan Doyle classic on BBC TV UK.

Watch the Trailer

Carolyn McDowall August 2010

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One of the most popular spaces in the house is the sculpture gallery of the 6th Duke of Devonshire, which includes a simply sensational sculpture by Filippo Albacini 1777 – 1858 of Achilles, the Greek hero modeled after the classical ideal.

The perceived wisdom and wealth of the people who occupied the Mediterranean region in ancient times, is both captivating and compelling. In almost every field of their endeavour the Greeks were pioneers. Their considerable achievements in literature, thought and science are only a part of a wonderful Greek legacy that belongs to the world at large.

It was Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC) who said ‘the aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance’. He noted that temples, sculpture, and paintings reflected the individual tastes of their creators and patrons, an idea that opened the way for their being considered as ‘works of art’ at all rather than just religious ritual or political images.

Greek artisans keenly explored how their sculptural works might imitate nature, or even improve upon it. There was no conscious striving towards realism at first, especially until it was understood to be a possible and desirable goal. This began six centuries before the Christ event.

Statues designed as grave markers were meant to summon up remembrance of the youth and vigour of the deceased. Until six centuries before the Christ event these statues were quite rigid in their stance, fists clenched hanging at their sides with legs standing together.

Then man’s capacity for learning, adapting and improving starts to become evident. Visually, and quite suddenly there is a break-through from the conceptual to the observed. The statues quite literally take a giant step forward, into the future of art, as movement becomes an integral aspect of their form.

From then on Greek craftsman evolved a new style based primarily on the male nude. Its style would dominate the visual arts of the western world for nearly two and a half millennia.

Mycenae was a natural rock citadel and capital of the legendary King Agamemnon.  German businessman Heinrich Schliemann 1822 – 1890 excavated the site and found a well-fortified citadel with strongholds for soldiers, weapons and officials, as well as storerooms for grain in case of siege. He found that the wealth of their community was invested in their King whose treasures like Egyptians, were placed in his tomb.

One of the last ventures overseas of the Mycenaean Greeks was the reputed major expedition against Troy. Legend tells us King Agamemnon besieged the ancient city for ten years before taking it by deceit.

Schliemann funded his own search for the Greek heroes as recorded by ancient Greek poet Homer in his work The Iliad to see if they had actually existed. His excavation of the site that was thought to be the Troy of legend found impressive architectural remains of more than six cities all rebuilt on one spot, including a royal treasure of gold.

Archaeologists during the twentieth century disputed the level he thought was the legendary setting for the battle for Helen, the face that launched a thousand ships and the deathly duel between Achilles and Priam’s son Hector.

Greek civilisation was built on the foundation of the heritage established during the Mycenaean period and it confirmed its character by building on the legacy of the intellectual ideas, philosophies and values each of its city states had established as they came together as one great combined creative force.

We only have examples of outstanding ‘works of art’ today from antiquity because from their earliest beginnings they appealed to man’s acquisitive instincts.

Over the centuries it became a passionate pursuit indulged in by those who valued their beauty and timeless aesthetic.

According to Cambridge dictionary the word classic means of the first class of acknowledged excellence; it pertains to the standard achieved by ancient Greek and Latin authors or their works, or the culture, art, architecture of Greek and Roman antiquity.

The earliest temples in the ancient Greek world were made of wood, which were easily destroyed. Eventually they were rebuilt in stone exemplifying and exaggerating the Greek architect’s skill in producing a building that displayed great proportion and strength.

The Greek lyric poet Pindar (522-440BC) described Agrigento as the ‘eye of Sicily’ where the well-preserved remains of the Temple of Concord reveals it was meticulously calibrated. Its harmonious proportions project the kind of standard for temple architecture that developed around 450BC at Athens, which by then was at the centre of the Greek world. This was the so-called “golden century” of Athenian Democracy when Athens came under the guidance of its brilliant statesman Pericles (490-429BC).

A nobleman with inherited wealth Pericles had the vision and power to create a new Athens, one that would become the envy of the ancient world. At Athens during the peace 40,000 citizens supported Pericles’ ambitious building programs.

To Pericles Athens owed the great buildings of the Acropolis, including The Parthenon, Erechtheum, Propylaea and Odeum, as well as numerous other public and sacred edifices. The quality and enrichment of the Parthenon sets it apart from all other temples. There is a freehand quality about the way in which its architects and artisans breathed life into the building and its sculptures, which when they were new were highly coloured. Sparseness moulded its enterprise and it became the place where many believe that artists have never been more successfully caught between a meeting of the human with the divine.

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The disappearance of the powdered wig in the early 1790’s marked a revolution in polite society and in London wild hairstyles exploded onto the Regency scene. They included the central curl, crimped or cropped locks of long, lanky and languishing dukes and dandies. This is a period dominated by men so it seems most appropriate to start by viewing the dashing portrait of Spencer, 2nd Marquess of Northampton who was painted by Scottish portrait painter Sir Henry Raeburn and exhibited at the Royal Academy at London in 1821.

The subject himself is a man history may not have celebrated very much. However in his own quiet way he contributed to its growth, intellectually, socially and practically. Born in 1790 by the time he was 30 Lord Northampton was a respected connoisseur of the arts and literature, particularly poetry. As President of the Royal Society in 1838 he worked tirelessly, with British politician William Wilberforce,  to ensure the abolition of the slave trade as well as campaigning for law reform. His portrait by Henry Raeburn, one of the era’s distinguished painters, is a fine example of the new style of portrait ‘realism’. Its bold, simple approach reveals an enduring structure of both character and experience. There is an intensity that leads us to believe the Marquess is a vividly romantic personality, a quiet brooding style of hero. His pose is very contained. His hands folded. The tightly wrapped cape creates an enclosed silhouette, one that lends dramatic effect to the white of his collar and cravat as well as the brilliant red of his cloak lining.

If we had to choose a colour that epitomizes the period of historical events that encompasses the time span of our romantics and revolutionaries from 1760 – 1830 it would have to be ‘red’, the colour of passion, which not only symbolises romantic love but also revolutionary blood.

Red was London’s most favoured colour. It was the colour of Roman tiles that paved the houses of first century Londinium, and the colour of the original wall surrounding London, which was built from red sandstone. It was used to make crosses on the doors of houses in the Middle Ages when plague invaded households. It was worn by Henry VI and his nobles when they made a triumphant entry into London in 1432 and the warring factions of York and Lancaster were united when Henry Tudor married Elizabeth of York. This union was symbolized in the Tudor rose, which flaunted both red and white petals.

The pensioners at Chelsea Hospital all wore red, and still do. It was the colour of the royal mail box that allowed fast and easy communication between friends and foes and, eighteenth century maps of London marked street improvements and indicated the areas of the ‘well to do’ or wealthy, in red.

Most of all for Londoners red was the metaphor for the great fire, the formative event in London’s life, which set in concrete London’s identification with the colour red. From the buckets you filled with water to quell the flames, to the engines the firemen used and the coats they wore, everything was red. Paradoxically, the greatest effect the great fire of London had was to promote the advancement of science. The Royal Society established in London in 1660 prompted members to find ‘scientific’ or ‘objective’ causes for such violent events so that such pestilences and conflagrations might be averted in the future.

The era of romantics and revolutionaries is also all about the continuing themes from ancient Greece and Rome for that of liberty, religion and justice.

Liberty was the freedom to think or act without being constrained by necessity or force; freedom from captivity or slavery; and of the political, social and economic rights that belong to citizens of any state, or to all people. It was then, and is now, the most potent of all western ideas and ideals and its theory should be constantly challenged. It was also about elevating creativity as a means of critical authority. Many wanted to free art from those who wanted to put rules in place to restrict its production.  It sought to validate strong emotion as an authentic source for an aesthetic experience, providing new ways for people to perceive the nature, beauty and creativity of the world they lived in.

It was about the poets and their poetry, the philosophers and their thoughts, the playwrights, the authors and their words as well as the fashions, passions and perceptions of London and its people.

Authors like Jane Austen and her family, who lived during this time, more than likely fell into a category of middling people, a term coined by literary wit, social commentator, and son of England’s first Prime Minister Horace Walpole. On his return from the continent in 1741 he said “I have before discovered that there was nowhere but in England the distinction of being middling people. I perceive now that there is peculiar to us middling houses; how snug they are”

During the eighteenth century in England a new class of people emerged, the country gentry. They actively supported the ruling and upper classes by cultivating an ambience of politeness, a keen, though delicate sensibility, which was always balanced by displaying a great deal of practical common sense.

Their gentrification was reflected in how they dressed, dined, performed and were entertained, in a fine selection of social settings. They rotated from the socially competitive atmosphere of London’s elegant drawing rooms to the cheerful gaiety of Bath’s assembly’s room and onto the more robust attractions of popular coastal resorts like Brighton, which were after 1792 also frequented by the Prince Regent and his entourage.

They strove for aesthetic perfection urged on by their awareness of the ‘antique’, while striving to emulate the ideal – classical perfection. The classical ideal flowed over into the landscape and small temples, originally designed as refuges from the hot Mediterranean sun, became focal points of beauty set as they were in a natural setting ordered from the centuries famous gardener, Capability Brown.

For centuries in Europe Continental monarchs ruled absolutely, whereas in England, for both good, and not so good reasons, the King’s council had over the centuries gradually circumscribed monarchical power by parliamentary institution.

In response to a ‘glorious revolution’ that deposed his wife Mary’s father, King James II, who threatened to restore Catholicism in England, William of Orange negotiated with Parliament to succeed to the throne of England and rule jointly with his wife.  They acknowledged that their power came from legislature rather than from any divine right. They confirmed and guaranteed freedom of speech and religious toleration in England and the 1689 Bill of Rights they signed exercised a great deal of influence in America during its fight for independence.

By the last forty years of the eighteenth century the English system of government with a controlled monarchical head, two houses of parliament and a voting system had gained the admiration of most, liberal minded European philosophers and considered great thinkers. However, if you read accounts of the parliament of the day it seems a wonder democracy managed to flourish at all.

A Swiss Pastor, who bribed his way into the House of Commons with a bottle of, undoubtedly red wine, reported ‘that Members of Parliament wore no special dress and…came in boots and greatcoats and kept their hats on.’ Scandalous behaviour.

Many an MP ‘lay prone upon a bench eating oranges or cracking nuts during a debate’. Bad speakers were laughed out of the chamber while good ones were heard in ‘perfect silence’ and approved of by calls of ‘hear him’. Real democracy in action for the pastor was a frightening thing. He was completely horrified by much ‘open abuse ‘ and the rude remarks that its members indulged in. He did testify later however ‘that the lowest and meanest members of society take an interest in everything of a public nature, whether high or low, rich or poor. It was to be admired that a carter, commoner, ‘nay an Englishman has his rights and privileges defined and knows exactly what is going on as well as his King or the King’s ministers’.

Noted French author of Francois Marie Arouet de Voltaire (1694 – 1778), after a short spell in the Bastille for daring to challenge a French nobleman, lived in England from 1726 to 1729 where he was totally astonished by its people’s many freedoms.

He found it completely amazing that Englishmen were able to virtually say and publish what they liked without fear of prison or exile; he was further astounded there was no torture or arbitrary imprisonment; and that noblemen and priests were not exempt from certain taxes.

In England he discovered it was the poor who enjoyed exemption from taxation, whereas at the same time in France it was the rich. On top of all of that he discovered that different religious sects were allowed to flourish. Protestant non conformists were allowed to gather in their own places for worship and become teachers etc.

They were subject to swearing certain oaths and declarations that they would not act against the crown or Parliament but they took that in their stride. Any further restrictions in place for Roman Catholics were finally removed in England by 1829. The wider expertise and experience Voltaire gained while in England meant his works and ideas became the embodiment of the European ‘enlightenment’. Although he died some time before it, he irrevocably laid the foundations for a French revolution in the minds of his peers.

The so-called Enlightenment is one of those rare historical movements that managed to name itself.

Certain thinkers and writers, primarily in London and Paris, believed they were far more enlightened than their compatriots. So armed with only their own self confidence they set out to enlighten everyone else. They believed human reason could be used to combat ignorance, superstition, and tyranny and build a better world.

Their principal targets were religion (embodied in France in the Catholic Church) and the domination of society by a hereditary aristocracy (Europe and England).

Up until the eighteenth century on the Continent, as well as in England, the Court had been the main centre for high culture. It was less a set of discrete works of art than a unique phenomenon shaped by circles of conversation and criticism that were conducted by its creators, distributors and consumers. The superiority of any court was clearly visible in the architecture of its magnificent buildings, the woven designs of its precious tapestries and the exquisite collections of its paintings. They provided a backdrop for the high drama surrounding monarchs and their reign. However without a proper stage it was difficult to perform the traditional rituals of power and eventually the court could only serve as a cultural focus for arts and literature as long as it was large, visible and fashionable filled with courtiers, hangers on and admirers.

Artist and designer Charles Le Brun had depicted Louis XIV on the ceiling of the Hall of Mirrors as a person, rather than a deity, but any good intentions Louis had in his youth and middle age, from time to time, were swept away in the sadness of old age and his revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685.

This document, formerly put in place by Henry IV the Great in 1598,  had granted religious toleration to the people a policy that had proved beneficial to France’s economic growth during the early part of Louis’ reign as the majority of artisans, who worked to produce the trappings of his reign, were Protestant. (Huguenot)

The court of Louis the self-styled Sun King at Versailles, during the most fruitful time of his reign, had fulfilled everyone’s expectations mainly because Louis himself uniquely and cleverly managed its private and its public face concealing many of its faults and its sexual license behind a heroic façade. This was in direct contrast to England, where in the second half of the seventeenth century, the Whig junto, a self-appointed committee with political aims whose members constantly surrounded and supported the King, gradually assumed positions of power distributing the resources of the crown in the form of places, pensions and perquisites and further circumscribing the power of the monarch.

This would mean that by the second half of the eighteenth century the King at London was being treated as a human being. Once that had happened something quite unique began to take place.

High culture, an integral aspect of the court began to move out of its narrow confines and into other diverse spaces within London becoming an attribute of the people.

From palaces to coffee houses, to reading societies, debating clubs, assembly rooms, galleries and concert halls over the next 60 years high culture became a partner of commerce.

Art, literature, music and theatre was transformed into thriving and popular endeavours and enterprises.

That the first two Hanoverian Kings George 1 and George II disliked England and its people was really neither here nor there. Before leaving to take up residence in England the first George calmed his Hanoverian subjects fears of the English chopping off his head by saying ‘I have nothing to fear – for the king killers are all my friends’.

By the time of the succession of the George II to the English throne in 1727 when asked to describe the character, habits and customs of the English a visiting Swiss Protestant, César de Saussure tackled the subject bravely in letter seven of his collection now entitled A Foreign View of England when he said…

…‘I do not think there is a people more prejudiced in their own favour…they look on foreigners in general with contempt and think nothing is as well done elsewhere as in their own country’ and he continued endeavouring to justify their self satisfied and smug attitude, ‘certainly many more things contribute to keep up this good opinion of themselves, their love for their nation, its wealth, its plenty and its liberty’.

The Georgian era in England began on horseback and ended in a railway carriage. As to the countryside, where its majority nearly 6 million people lived it was still, according to a contemporary description, a country of ‘champion fields, sprawling common, waste and woodland‘.

In reality the marshland, bogs and moors were all very treacherous places and much of the land under cultivation was still tilled as in medieval times.

In the north the country was mostly barren due to the poverty of the soil, impassability of the mountains and scarcity of population and the roads, well they were truly vile. It is understandable then that a man might spend his whole life and never go further than the village market.

The gurus of taste and style considered the fine arts, painting and sculpture, addressed the so called Pleasures of the Imagination individually, collectively and corporately. Everyone wanted to experience great emotions of taste and become a voyeur of the interiors of city and country houses. Remarkably, with the right introductions,  these could began to be arranged to suit your purpose.

Archibald Alison, a Scottish retired cleric of the Church of England, first coined the phrase the pleasures of the imagination. Like many others of his generation he indulged himself by writing elegant fragments and well turned sermons. He seemingly enjoyed a pleasant country life in Shropshire and Hampshire, prior to moving back to Edinburgh in 1800 to benefit his son’s education. Alison was just a one person who was part of a large movement of people, a groundswell inspired by the works of enlightened writers such as Voltaire. They were all busily expressing their own views through writing essays, hoping they would influence the leading figures of the so-called European enlightenment.

To understand why this movement became so influential during the eighteenth century, it is important to revisit sixteenth century French Humanist Michel de Montaigne who asked a single question over and over again in his essays: “What do I know?”

By this he meant that we have no right to impose on others dogmas, which rest on cultural habit rather than on the understanding of an absolute truth. Powerfully influenced by the discovery of thriving non-Christian cultures in places as far off as Brazil, he argued morals may be to some degree relative. ‘

Who were Europeans to insist Brazilian cannibals, who merely consume dead human flesh instead of wasting it, are morally inferior to Europeans who persecute and oppress those of whom they disapprove?

This shift toward cultural relativism, though based on only a scant understanding of newly discovered races of people would continue to have a profound effect on European thought right through to the present day.

Just as their predecessors had used the tools of antiquity to gain unprecedented freedom of inquiry enlightened thinkers used examples of other cultures to reshape not only their philosophies, but their own societies.

This line of thought paved the way for the justification of a French Revolution. If we cannot be certain our values were God-given, then we have no right to impose our ideas by force on others. Inquisitors, popes, and kings alike in this train of thought had no business enforcing adherence to particular religious or philosophical beliefs and it is one of the great paradoxes of history that radical doubt was necessary to arrive at a new sort of certainty, one that was labeled scientific.

In the second half of the eighteenth century a good scientist wasn’t just dabbling with test tubes or looking at the sky. He willingly and patiently tested all assumptions as he was challenging traditional opinions with an aim at coming closer to the truth. The strength of science then maybe at its best when it is aware of its limitations, when it is aware that knowledge is always growing and always subject to change – never absolute. By our retired cleric’s way of thinking knowledge depended on evidence and reason.

Archibald Alison’s Essays on the Nature and Principles of Taste were published in Edinburgh in 1790 and were destined to impress many men of both refinement and cultivation.

When King George II died in October 1760 his 18 year old son George III came to the throne. He was the first Hanoverian monarch to be born in England and speak English at court as his first language, (not French as his father and grandfather).

As we can imagine patriotic fervour on his succession new no bounds. Huge crowds welcomed the young King’s bride Charlotte of Mecklenburg to England and cheered them both at their coronation to the resounding sounds of the German composer George Friderick Handel’s fabulous composition Zadok the Priest, originally composed for his father and traditionally performed since during the sovereign’s anointing.

And all the people rejoic’d, and said:
God save the King! Long live the King!
May the King live for ever,
Amen, Allelujah!

The times were briefly helped by a fine summer whose good harvests came from orchards whose trees were heavily laden with fruit and they became symbolic of a nation at ease. This was a moment that felt right for a new King, new projects and new adventures. And, at this point England’s high society considered itself the most civilised in Europe.

George III’s family, as it grew up in the public eye, setting an example for that of a life of domestic felicity, which was taken as a model of propriety by the population at large.

This was a great change from George I and George II’s horrendous examples. George 1 had divorced his wife on a trumped up charge in 1694, locking her up for life in the fortress castle of Dahlen in Hanover. Their only son, later George II loved his mother and hated his father and his father hated him…in fact the first two George’s both reputedly ‘hated their sons’. George II treated his wife Queen Caroline abominably; he was rude, snubbed her constantly, fell into vile rages and expected her to treat his mistresses with great civility, and to keep the peace she obliged him.

A great contrast to his role models George III was a thoroughly modern man. He lived very cosily in the snug bosom of his family. He was the first ‘middling people’s monarch who distinguished his private residence from his public office.

He and the Queen retired early, forbade their daughters to read romances and offered his equerries barley water as a refreshment. He openly condemned his aristocratic subjects for their lack of piety, as well as exceedingly lax morals. Poor George he was constantly lampooned by the press and the cartoonists at Punch for penny pinching sententiousness, which meant they were inclined to moralize more than was merited or appreciated.

George III was, by all accounts also stubborn and obstinate although described as a good man but a bad king. He attempted a style of personal rule, which did not really work. In his day political parties were thought of as ‘factions’ that needed reconciling rather than opposing ideologies. His father and grandfather set a precedent by favouring the Whigs. However for George III that would have been quite unthinkable as he believed the monarch had to remain apolitical to offer his best advice.

No monarch however since the Restoration of Charles II was greeted with such popular enthusiasm and affection by his people. The Duchess of Northumberland, one of the Ladies of the Bedchamber to Queen Charlotte wrote in her diary about his first speech ‘Went to the House of Lords, much crowded to hear ye King’s speech. The Crown like to fall, sat down on his nose and misbecame him greatly. He faulter’d a little at first but afterwards spoke like an Angel’.

Early in his reign, George III like most of his subjects, enjoyed delightful diversions and amusements. He became a patron to musicians, painters, the theatre, the opera and less frequently, to men of letters. However the value of his royal patronage did not lie in the rewards it gave but on the social cachet which could be parlayed into rich commissions. In short the British monarch operated as a private patron now, not as a national one and this was a great change.

There was clearly a motif to this act and its aims were very simply laid out in a long dedication in 1762 by Lord Kames in his Elements of Criticism to George III. pardon me but shortened here so we don’t doze off.

The Fine Arts have ever been encouraged by wise Princes, not simply for private amusement, but for their beneficial influence in society…and it ends... the Fine Arts; riches employed, instead of encouraging vice, will excite both public and private virtues. …

Lord Kames believed culture was important as a means of controlling and legitimating commercial society. A cynic might say that he saw the pursuit of art as a means of justifying an accumulation of wealth. However in defining the fine arts in relation to the world of commerce, not the realm of kingship, he was endeavouring to make his point.

By mid century London was the largest city in Western Europe with 750,000 inhabitants. (Edinburgh at the same time had 57,000 and Dublin 90,000). It offered a different quality of life. Nowhere else in Britain was so urban; no other city so exciting and so sensationally shocking!.

Variety, energy, noise, colour, enthusiasm – you could go for a walk and gape at the antics of the beau monde out for an evening’s fun at Vauxhall, Gardens, which occupied about 12 acres across the Thames from Westminster Abbey.

Class distinction did not apply at Vauxhall and fashionable ‘men of the ton’ thought that while it was slightly scary it also seemed very glamorous. Meanwhile rascals, ruffians, pimps and prostitutes saw it as a place where they could earn a lucrative living, and did so.

Those who were neither haute nor bas, but somewhere in the middle found that it was definitely a place of excitement, and to coin a real Georgian phrase, a great gaze. There were wonderful walks, through triumphal arches, erected in 1752 so you could enact your own Roman odyssey. There was something for everyone at Vauxhall.

Musical Bushes were a great lark. As you strolled by they emitted music, due to a band concealed in a nearby hole in the ground. Sadly when it rained the hole filled with water and this happend so often that finally it had to be abandoned.

At Vauxhall the orchestra after this experience preferred to play Handel’s popular Water Music on the dry stage of the Rotunda, where concerts of songs, sonate and concerti lasting four hours were frequently given.

You could also go up the river to Ranelagh Gardens where the Rotunda there was thought by contemporaries to compare favourably with the Pantheon at Rome. That much admired relic of antiquity had survived the centuries and was inspected by every Grand Tourist during the eighteenth century. Its London copy was a place where everyone promenaded about to see and be seen and the great English writer, critic and renowned conversationalist Dr. Samuel Johnson said Ranelagh produced  ‘an expansion and gay sensation’ such as he had never experienced anywhere else before.

It certainly must have been wonderful to be in London when, on June 19^th 1764,  the remarkable child prodigy from Austria 8 year old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart gave a concert playing his own compositions on the harpsichord and organ.

The young genius and his father and sister stayed in London for just over one year, not departing until 17 September 1765. While residing in Chelsea at London the young Mozart wrote a set of sonatas K10 – 15 dedicating them to Queen Charlotte for which she sent him fifty guineas.

An account of their first appearance on the 28 May 1764 relates how Wolfgang together with his father and sister spent 3 hours with the King and Queen, who treated them so warmly they could not believe they were in the ‘presence of the king and queen of England’. ‘What we have experienced here surpasses everything’ his father reported in a letter home.

A week later Wolfgang, his father and sister were walking in St. James’s Park when the King and Queen drove by. Again they were astonished, that while differently dressed, the King and Queen actually recognized them. The King, from all accounts, threw open the carriage window and put his head out of the window laughing out loud while greeting them ‘ both with his head and hands’ wrote the elder Mozart, particularly Master Wolfgang. They were given 24 guineas for performing privately for George, Charlotte, the family and friends.

On the 19^th May they spent a further four hours with their majesties performing for a small group that included two princes, the brother of the King and brother of the Queen, receiving another 2 guineas on going away. On the 5th of June the King gave a benefit. He placed before the young genius a selection of pieces of music by Bach, Carl F. Abel, a virtuoso viola da gamba player and composer who had arrived in London in 1757, as well as works by Handel.

This concert was most fashionably patronised and very profitable and Mozart, it was reported, played all the selections on the King’s organ in such a manner that everyone was enchanted. Wolfgang also accompanied the Queen in a duet playing an air and then brilliantly improvised on one of Handel’s airs, playing a melody so beautiful that it astonished everybody.

© Carolyn McDowall 2010

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We’re delighted to announce that for a limited time only, we’re offering the first six parts of our acclaimed course of study, the EVOLUTION OF ART, DESIGN & STYLE to you and your friends absolutely free.

This survey includes the intimate world of the fashionable from classical antiquity to contemporary times.

The following are the outlines for the six FREE online videos, which we also recommend you watch in chronological order.

A. Defining Civilisation – Part 1 & 2
The survey begins with an overview of the emergence of ancient societies and their progress discussing the development of architecture, gardens and costume. We highlight the ancient Egyptians who were pioneers in the art of adornment.

Click here to view Part 1 | Click here to view Part 2

B. An Arcadian Ideal – – Part 1 & 2
Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322) said ‘the aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance’. He noted temples, sculpture, and paintings reflected the individual tastes of their creators and patrons, an idea that opened the way for their being considered ‘works of art’ rather than just religious ritual or political images.

Click here to view Part 1 |  Click here to view Part 2

C. Precincts of Power and Glory – – Part 1 & 2
The advancement of classical disciplines under Roman rule, highlighting the reign of first century Emperor Augustus when Rome became a civilizing force for the western world. We discuss the treatise of architect Marcus Pollio Vitruvius and what it reveals about Roman design and construction. Caught in a time warp, Herculaneum and Pompeii have revealed a great deal of fact about living and lifestyle in Ancient Rome.

Click here to view Part 1 |  Click here to view Part 2

Click here to Read the full Course Outline

The Culture Concept Circle reserves the right to postpone, cancel or change any part of the published program

The course is designed around setting aside one day a week to watch 2 x 20 – 30 minute on line video parts on your computer
Learn while you enjoy an array of sumptuous imagery and beautiful music.

The course surveys the development of architecture, interiors, gardens, painting, sculpture and objet d’art in their relationship to historical events, philosophical and intellectual ideas and social change.

© The Culture Concept 2010

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From England comes the news of an exciting new three part series (let’s hope that expands) about one of the most popular characters in fiction. Yes you have guessed it, its the super sleuth himself, the world’s favourite detective Sherlock Holmes.

The first episode in England polled way ahead in the ratings against a great combination of Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, starring with Hammond, May and Clarkson, on Top Gear.  Now that’s really something in Britain where they really love the boys with their toys.

This new, exciting, hip and updated Sherlock is all about sending texts from his mobile fast and furiously while chasing villains on foot through back lanes and alleys leading off Baker Street, very near to 221b the home and haven he invites Watson to share.  His new method of communication works well alongside the three nicotine patches on his arms that are helping him to think.

All the symbols of the old Holmes are there, but reinvented in new and clever ways. The Guardian reports they have been ’stripped of their period anachronisms so that the audience focuses on what originally enchanted people about the books: the characters, themes and stories’.

Watson, Sherlock’s trusty sidekick, is suffering from a psychosomatic injury received in the war at Afghanistan, ironically a war already in motion when Conan Doyle first created his immortal characters with a quill pen. Limping at first he forgets his cane when the chase begins, thrilling to its spontaneity.

Holmes is in pursuit of a serial killer, who cleverly uses mind games to draw him onto his killing field, which is set in a pair of stunning neoclassical buildings, just to confuse followers.

Watson is apparently very well drawn by Martin J Freeman, from the award winning The Office and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and D.I. Lastrade is there in the guise of Rupert Graves, who first appeared in Room with a View as Freddy Honeychurch and has since had many great roles. Una Stubbs, Ralph’s daughter from Until Death Do Us Part, is their lucky landlady, but not their housekeeper!

Sherlock himself is the beguilingly named Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch who came to attention as William Pitt the Younger in the 2006 film Amazing Grace and other select roles, including being narrator for the six part series South Pacific recently aired on Australian television as The Pacific.

The project is a collaboration between Steven Moffat and Mark Gattis, writers for the new series of Dr Who. Gattis said “What appealed to us about the idea of doing Sherlock in the present day is that the characters have become almost literally lost in the fog … And while I am second to no one in my enjoyment of that sort of Victoriana, we wanted to get back to… why the characters became the most wonderful partnership in literature.”

Steven Moffat also talked about returning to the core of Conan Doyle’s stories. He said, “Conan Doyle’s stories were never about frock coats and gas light; they’re about brilliant detection, dreadful villains and blood-curdling crimes – and frankly, to hell with the crinoline. Other detectives have cases, Sherlock Holmes has adventures, and that’s what matters”.

The critics will be out to scrutinize each of the three episodes in minute detail, as will the purists, who will more than likely give them hell…but no matter how much the wowsers carry on, Sherlock, from all accounts is all about entertainment, which is what it is really all about.

Early reports are more than favourable, ecstatic in some cases. Yahoo!

Here at last are two writers capable of resurrecting the master detective for a new age. He is after all timeless and his creator doctor, novelist, dramatist, historian, whaler, athlete, war correspondent and spiritualist, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, himself a vigorous and ardent lover of life would no doubt have enjoyed to be in front of the tellie with a tinnie on Sunday night at London enjoying the show with the seven million + people who reputedly watched the first of this new movie length series.

Doyle’s own life was amazing enough, but it is chiefly as the creator of Sherlock Holmes that he is known. From reviews that I have read these two new exciting writers, Moffat and Gattis, do homage to Holmes and Doyle and do it very well indeed.

Gatiss puts Sherlock Holmes’s longevity down to the “genius” of Arthur Conan Doyle.

“To the end of his days he was very dismissive about his greatest creation – but he’d bottled lightning. The public just loved it. People couldn’t get enough of Sherlock and they’ve never got enough of him since.”

Hope the ABC in Australia pulls out all punches to bring it here in haste. Sounds like Sherlock is a shrewd, sexy new age take on a much loved story and a lasting tribute to the indestructible detective and his famous creator, as well as a whole lot of fun. And then there is always… Moriarty.

Carolyn McDowall

PS Apparently Sherlock’s Nemesis turns up in Episode 3 and promises an explosive finale

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The Tree of Forgiveness, Lady Lever Art Gallery Liverpool England - Artist Edward Coley Burne-Jones

American Philosopher Martha C. Nussbaum is the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics in the Philosophy Department, Law School, and Divinity School at the University of Chicago.

In her short and powerful new book called Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities she makes a passionate case for the importance of the liberal arts at all levels of education.

She says ‘ the aims of education have gone disturbingly awry both in the United States and abroad’.

Traditionally at Universities for hundreds of years the Humanities focused on improving the human condition. They included the study of Archaeology; Asian Studies; Classical Studies; English; European Languages and Cultures; History; Linguistics and Philology; Philosophy, Religion and the History of Ideas; Cultural and Communication Studies; The Arts.  Integral to their aims was to encourage critical thinking, contributing to the shaping and moulding of western civilization and its core values.

Probably as a response to critical funding issues heads of universities in cities across the world during the last twenty years of the C20 began to focus more on teaching students to be commercially productive rather than to think critically and become knowledgeable and empathetic citizens. In some startling cases, they actually dispensed with the humanities altogether.

This focus on profitable skills was in many ways understandable, but also shortsighted. Over the last fifty years, as Martha Nussbaum reveals, it has been successful in eroding our ability to criticize or challenge authority, to sympathize and/or empathize with those in our society who are marginalized, such as the homeless, or those who are different, such as those with autism. As well, it has also damaged our ability to deal with complex global issues.Martha Nussbaum argues, strongly and convincingly, that we must resist efforts to reduce education to a tool of the gross national product. Rather, we must work to reconnect education to the humanities in order to give students the capacity to be true democratic citizens of their cities, countries and the world.

As children many of us would have been read the story of how St George saved the Princess and people of her land from the Dragon. As a symbol of the powers and forces that destroy life the story is a powerful allegory and emblematic of the triumph of good over evil.  St George’s refusal of money from the King as a reward asking that it be given to the poor is symbolic of him putting the needs of the many before that of himself as an individual.  The dragon, well he is a metaphor for the demons we all face and fight ourselves on a daily basis.

Good Triumphing over Evil

In the Anglican Primate of Australia’s brilliant inauguration sermon in 2005 Dr Phillip Aspinall said ‘The dragons of individualism and hedonism often take flight together. Where each individual becomes the centre, and that one’s pleasure becomes the yardstick, should we be surprised that isolationism and the fracturing of community are the offspring that soon spread their wings? ‘.

Each of these dragons in our own day, like dragons from time immemorial, appear unstoppable. They represent invincible tyranny and are no respecters of tradition or religious beliefs or societies well being as they wreak their havoc everywhere. In order to strive be truly human – we do need ‘to remain childlike, to keep an open mind, to refine an ability to remain humble, to eschew pride and arrogance and to be reverent towards other people and towards the natural world’ *.

Over the last century it seems our core values have become affected by an almost radical focus on the individual to a point that in the last ten years it is now very easy to encounter people on a daily basis who don’t seemingly connect with, or care about anyone but themselves.  It is indeed scary to think we have entered a cycle climaxing with, in C20 French historian and author Sabine Melchior Bonnet’s words, the ‘democratization of narcissism’.

How do we reverse the trend? Will studying the humanities assist us to provide the answer? I am one voice who believes it will.  Philosopher, essayist poet and novelist George Santayana (1863-1952) said ‘Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement: and when experience is not retained…infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it’

Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce, London Engraving from the Works in Architecture of C18 Scottish Architect Robert Adam

In 1754 London drawing master and social reformer William Shipley founded the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce (RSA London). Shipley was on a quest beyond self  ‘ to embolden enterprise, enlarge science, refine arts, improve our manufactures and extend our commerce’. He knew that all of these aims must be integral to each other if the organization he was founding was to contribute to humanity and its success and continue its mission into the future. The RSA at London having celebrated its 250th anniversary founded it’s own teaching Academy on Tuesday 4th November 2008 ‘to provide a first-class education for students that provided a mix of academic and vocational courses and qualifications to enable young people to realize their potential.’

‘On the 24th May 2010 the RSA further reported they would support a new initiative called Whole Education. Speaking at the launch, young people, employers (BT, Waitrose) and practitioners said ‘The Whole Education partnership will work to ensure that young people learn practical skills such as communication and teamwork, develop qualities such as resilience and empathy and acquire knowledge that goes beyond literacy and numeracy to an understanding of our culture’.  Sounds like good groundwork for studying the humanities in the future.

In Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities Martha C. Nussbaum challenges us all in her call to action. Are we up to the challenge or have we embraced complacency and self interest to the point of excusing ourselves from our responsibilities to each other? Are you able to help slay the dragon, but not for profit?

Carolyn McDowall 2010

Reference: * Inauguration as Primate of Australia Sermon 29 September 2005 The Most Rev’d Dr Phillip Aspinall

Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities is available online @ www.bookoffers.com.au

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